Motion-picture take-up apparatus



Dec. 2, 1924.

INVENTOR -G o MA, W BY A TTORNE YS Patented Dee. 2, 1924.

NITED STATES PATENT oFFics.

JOI-IN DOIIER'ILY, 0F COXSACKIE, NEW YORK, lISXS'SIIIGrNOR T0 SUPER-IORPROJECTOR, INC., 0F COXSACKIE, NEW YORK, Ay CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

MOTION-PICTURE TAKE-UP APPARATUS.

Application filed January 1e, 1923. serial No. 612,920.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, Jol-IN DoHEn'rY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Coxsackie, in the county of Greene and Sta-te of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Motion-PictureTake-Up Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to take-up or winding devices particularlyadapted for use with moti-on picture projecting apparatus, whichinvention will best be under stood from the following description andthe appended drawings in which I have shown an illustrative embodimentof my invention.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a take-up mechanism of amoti-on picture projecting machine, with some of the parts broken awayon the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 for the sake of clearness; Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the illustrative form of apparatus; Fig. 3 is a section onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a more or less diagrammaticrepresentation of the film and guide rollers looking from the left ofFig. 1.

Like reference characters `indicate like parts in the several views.

In the illustrative embodiment, repref sents a portion of the usual baseor supportv for a motion picture apparatus, and 11 a portion of theprojecting head which carries the usual film-moving mechanism.

In the specific arrangement illustrated, the machine is driven from apower shaft 12 through spiral gears 13, 14. The gear 14 is connected toa vertical shaft 15 carriedin suitable bearings and motion istransmitted to the driving gears 16, 17 in the machine head through aspiral gear 18 on the shaft 15. The hlm-feeding sprocket 19 is driven bya gear 20 from the gear 17, the sprocket 19 turning continuously whilethe machine is in motion to feed the film 11 downward from theprojecting machine head in the usual manner.

Supported o-n the base 10 by a bracket 21 is a reel shaft 22 sup ortedin suitable bearings and arranged tophave connected thereto the usualreel 23.

The film F passing from the sprocket 19 is guided between pairs ofguiderollers 24, 25 to the reel 23.

The arrangement described above is a usual one, and further descriptionthereof will beunnecessary to `those skilled in the art.

As the film is taken up by the reel 23, the diameter of. the rollincreasesl in size, so that 1f the turningv movement or torque of thereel is constant, the tension 'on the film becomes so great that/it mayybreak when the roll is small, if this torque is suiiicient to take upthe film when the roll is large.

By my invention I have provided means by which the torque can bemaintained substantially constant,'regardles`s of the `size of the rollof film Ion ythe reel23.

The shaft 22 vand .with it ythereel 23 is driven by *a friction member26 connected to the shaft 22 and having its periphery contacted by adriving friction disc 27 connected to the shaft 15 by means of a pin 28projecting through a slot 29 in the shaft 15, so that while the disc 27is turning with the shaft 15, it may be moved longitudinally of theshaft. Above the disc 27 i-s a washer 30 bearing against the hub of thedisc 27 a spring 31 around the shaft 15 pressing against the washer andabutting at the other end against a collar 32, screw-threaded on a fixedabutment 33. By screwing the collar 32 on the abutment 33 which isattached to the shaft 15, the pressure of the spring 31 on the disc 27may be adjusted.

Between the washer 30 and the disc 27 is located a cup member 34connected by pins 35 with slots in the end of a lever 36 pivoted at 37in the frame and connected at its yopposite end by a connecting rod 38with a lever 39 on a shaft 40 carried in the head of the machine andhaving at its opposite end a lever 41 carrying the roller 42 whichengages in a loop in the film F passing from the sprocket 19 to theguide rollers 24.

The cup member 34 is free to slide vertically on the hub of the disc 27and, Iof course, is non-rotatable, and preferably I provide aball-bearing construction between the walls of the cup 34 and the hub ofthe disc 27, so that there will be so little friction between the twothat there will be substantially no tendency for the cup 34 to rotate.This ball-bearing arrangement is illustrated best in Fig. 3, but it willbe understood that it is not essential to my arrangement.

With the parts in the positions shown in the drawings, the spring 31 isexerting its full pressure on the disc 27 to give the v titi greatestfrictional contact between the disc 27 and the friction member 26, sothat the torque on the reel 23 will be the greatest possible. This wouldbe the condition. when the roll of hn 'on the reel 23 is the largest.lVhen the roll is small, however, this torque would produce a tension onthe film F between the rollers 24 and the sprocket 19 to draw the roller42 to the left of Figa and this, in turn, Would force the connecting rod3.8 doWnWa-rdl and lift the 01113134. up until it contacted with theWasher 30 and relieve some of the pressure o'the spring 3l on the disc27, thus decreasing the torque on the shaft 22. This release would, inturn, relieve the tension on the film F and permit the roller 42 to moveback toward its original position. In other Words, by my arrangement thepressure of. thespring 3l, and With it the torque on the shaft 22, arecontrolled bythe tension of` the iilm7 so that this tension may bemaintained substantially constant, regardless of the size of the roll offilm onthe reel v23.

It will be understood that the arrangement which l have illustrated ismerely one embodiment of my invention and that the construction may bevaried Within iride limits. i

I claim:

In a take-up device tor motion picture apparatus, a reel, a film-feedingroller, a movable roller enga-ged by the lilm as it passesk from thefilm-feeding roller to the reel and arranged to be moved by the tensionon the film,V a. friction disc connected to said rech. a driving shaftat right-angles to the axis oit the reel, a driving' disc connected tosaid. shaft and movable longitudinally thereof, a iixed abutment on saidshaft, al movable abutment on said shaft and adapted to bear againstsaid driving disc, a spring between said abutments and connectionsbetiveensaid movable abutment and said movable roller arranged to movesaid movable abutment again-st the pressure et the spring when themovable roller is moved by the tension of the `tilm.

JOHN DOHERTY.

